Deseret Industries

Where can you get children's picture books, Sarah Vowell's humorous historical nonfiction, Jesus illustrations and a high-quality midcentury modern matching bedroom set? Deseret Industries. Deseret Industries is a chain thrift store run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS, also known as "Mormons"). 

I lived with some LDS members in a foster-family-sort of situation, when I was a young teen. Long enough to figure out what an Elder was and some fundamentals of the belief system; also long enough to figure out I would never make a good Mormon. But they were nice people. 

At the Deseret Industries on Aurora, the clean, tidy clothes are hung as if in a department store, even organized by color, size, etc. 

Sometimes, visiting certain religiously-affiliated thrift shops gives you insight into that denomination. Here, I saw BYU sweatshirts, Missionary Journals, and pictures of snow-suffering pioneers being helped by white people? Ghosts? White people ghosts? 

If you want to know the story behind this picture, head to the LDS website. 

Jesus Doing Things was a popular theme of framed pictures, including Jesus hammering nails, Jesus carrying lambs, Jesus comforting a child, Jesus looking buff. Here, Jesus looking stoic about being priced at $5. 

The book section's disorganization made it difficult to browse, although I did find two Sarah Vowell books I've always meant to read. Tons of kids' picture books and Little House on the Prairie series. 

There was evidence of crafty types. The LDS informally ran most extracurricular activites in my rural town -- from 4H to Boy Scouts to coaching the baseball team. The uber-crafty LDS kids in my 4H club could probably make a couch out of a ball of twine, a discarded frock and an old stuffed animal. Yet the crafting area at this Deseret was wholly disorganized. Why?! 

The furniture here was spectacular, perhaps the best I've seen in Seattle at a thrift store. Five-piece mid-century modern matching bedroom sets in perfect condition. Pristine desks. Seemingly untouched bunk beds. All furniture was fairly large, best suited to a rambler-style home. Prices were on the higher end -- the matching living room tables above: $50/each. 

I never learned how to hit a ball, but it wasn't my (LDS) baseball coach's fault. I'm not really sure who buys other people's sporting trophies. I'm not one of them, but if you are, you'll clean up at Deseret Industries. 


Deseret Industries 
17935 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133 
Web: https://deseretindustries.org